First Lady Tammy Murphy to Launch Mini Family Festival Series to Address Maternal and Infant Health Crisis
First Lady Tammy Murphy to Launch Mini Family Festival Series to Address Maternal and Infant Health Crisis
“Since launching in 2018, our Family Festival series has been incredibly successful at connecting families with community, state, and federal resources to combat New Jersey’s maternal and infant health crisis,” said First Lady Tammy Murphy. “Our Mini Family Festival series aims to take our approach a step further and meet mothers and families in trusted locations they access frequently, like hospitals and health care centers. Transportation is a major social determinant of health and by bringing a combination of resources to these targeted locations, we are enabling our mothers and babies to receive comprehensive care and critical information all in one location.”
“With New Jersey turning a positive corner in our recovery from the pandemic, we are so excited to see the return of First Lady Tammy Murphy’s Family Festivals. While the upcoming festivals will be a bit smaller in scale as people get used to gathering again, they are just as important in connecting our families with important resources such as motor vehicle services that they can use to improve their everyday lives,” said Lt. Governor Sheila Oliver, who serves as Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs. “We encourage people to come to these mini family festivals and take advantage of the services and resources provided. More than 5,500 families were positively impacted by the festivals pre-COVID and we want to reach even more families, especially since many may still be feeling the effects of the pandemic.”
The events are open to all, but services provided by the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission Mobile Unit are for those registered ahead of the event, with service costs covered by Horizon NJ Health. The next three Mini Family Festivals are below and will continue throughout the state in the coming months:
Thursday, June 24
Capital Health Regional Medical Center, Trenton
10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Wednesday, June 30
CAMcare, Paulsboro
10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Wednesday, July 28
CAMcare, Clementon
10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
“Capital Health is known for providing the highest level of maternity and women’s health services in the region, as well as a growing number of family medicine primary care practices for women and children to get the care they need, when and where they need it,” said Al Maghazehe, president and CEO of Capital Health. “We are proud to share these services with the families they support here in the City of Trenton alongside First Lady Tammy Murphy as part of the Nurture NJ initiative.”
“We are honored to be a part of the First Lady’s initiative,” said Mark Roberts, President and CEO of CAMcare Health Corporation. “It fits our mission of serving our community with services beyond general primary care health needs during the pandemic and beyond.”
“The Family Festivals share the same goal that guides us at Horizon every day: building healthier lives for a healthier New Jersey,” Gary D. St. Hilaire, President and CEO Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey. “The festivals recognize that good health depends not just on good medical care, but also on many factors that have traditionally been beyond the reach of health care like safe and stable housing or access to nutritious foods. Horizon is honored to partner with the Governor and First Lady to help improve health equity in New Jersey, address racial disparities in health, and improve access to quality health care for underserved communities.”
“The NJMVC is excited to work with First Lady Tammy Murphy to support the Mini Family Festivals,” said New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission Chief Administrator Sue Fulton. “They offer a great opportunity to help families across the state with resources and programs brought directly to them. We look forward to deploying the NJMVC Mobile Units and providing services to those communities who need them.”
“NJ TRANSIT is so proud to be teaming up with the First Lady Tammy Murphy to ensure that every expectant mother in our state receives the high-quality healthcare she deserves, no matter her income or situation in life,” said NJ TRANSIT President & CEO Kevin S. Corbett. “As this initiative proves, today’s NJ TRANSIT is not only committed to providing safe and essential transit services throughout the state for those who depend on us, we are equally committed to being good community partners.”
“As New Jersey continues on the road to recovery from the COVID-19 public health emergency, families are still experiencing new and profound stressors, as the pandemic has disrupted so many of our norms and created a collective sense of loss and anxiety,” said New Jersey Department of Children and Families Commissioner Christine Norbut Beyer. “But in New Jersey, we’re committed to the principle that no one gets left behind as we find new footing and a new normal. In order to achieve that goal, it’s important for families to know about the services that are available, in their communities and in the State, to offer a helping hand. Thank you to First Lady Tammy Murphy and her team for connecting families to vital services and helping us chart a path forward towards stability and well-being for families in need.”
